Spartan Spotlight – Week Ending September 11, 2026
Dear St. Mary’s Families,
Friday is September 11th. It is hard to imagine that it has been 25 years. That day put in motion many cultural and societal changes that continue to impact us through our current day.. The staff and I will be doing age appropriate acts of kindness in memory of the heroes that stepped up on that day and the days following.
Prayer for September 11th
God, on this day of remembrance, we honor the lives that were lost and hold their families and loved ones in our hearts. Bring comfort to those who still carry grief, strength to those who served and helped others, and peace to communities affected by tragedy. Help us remember with compassion, choose kindness over hatred, and work toward a world filled with peace and understanding.
Amen.
We hope to see everyone at our student-led Mass and Back to School Bash on Saturday, September 12 – Mass is at 5:00 pm, Back to School Bash to follow
Our Mission:
St. Mary’s School is to provide a Catholic environment that instills academic excellence while preparing the whole child for life-long personal and spiritual growth, empowering them to become global citizens.
St. Mary’s Catholic Church
Weekend Masses
Saturday, 5:00pm – English
7:00pm – Spanish
Sunday- 8:30am & 10:45am- English
12:45pm – Spanish
Weekday Masses
Tues. – Fri., 8:30am
Foodbank Fall Festival
Come and join the fun at Payette Provisions (formerly known as Payette Brewing, Co) to support the St. Mary’s Community Food Pantry Monday, September 21, 2026 from 5:00-9:00 pm. Payette Provisions, while a tasting room is a family friendly venue with a beautiful patio and outdoor games. Bring your own dinner or grab a bite to eat from the food-truck.
You are invited to join for the live music, food truck, raffle, and fundraising extravaganza!
September 21, 2026 – 5:00-9:00 pm
Payette Provisions (formerly known as Payette Brewing, Co)
733 S. Pioneer St.
Boise, ID 83702
On time and At School – Attendance
Please come to school. We like your children. We want to see them everyday at school. At St. Mary’s we are committed to creating a positive, engaging environment at St. Mary’s where our students are welcomed and valued.
Please be one time. While it might not seem as though 5, 10, or 30 minutes late is a big deal, it is. It is important to your child and to all children to start the day off right. Very often, the teachers are setting the stage for the entire day or at least the class period. When your student is late, they miss this instruction and they are playing catch-up for the rest of the day.
In addition to the personal impact, it has an impact on the rest of the class. Showing up late interrupts instruction or activities for the others in the room. If you are having trouble getting here on time, please contact the school. We would love to help you formulate a solution.
Schools have been utilizing technology in the classroom for some time. In 2020, thanks in large part of COVID, the use of technology exploded at schools and also at home. The steady progression of technology has led us to a society where we are constantly connected. Unsurprisingly, the use of technology by our children at home and at school has resulted in:
lower academic performance
lack of proper social skills
impaired students ability to focus on one thing at a time
isolation and loneliness
We are trying to do our part at school. We need your help and want to equip you with more tools and resources to help guide your children and make good choices. Please know that this is not limited to phones and social media. Anything that connects to the internet, including gaming devices, wearable technology, and other communication devices are part of the problem. There are a number of parent driven programs, such as Wait Until 8th, trying to create support groups to fend off the pressure from society to cave to the children’s wants.
We are planning a digital literacy night at school for our parents later in the year. In the meantime, below is a link to the Social Institute that can provide you with some very good information as well as some discussions you can have at home with your children about technology usage. The Social Institute provides all types of resources for families including hints about setting and controls on different applications.
To access the Social Institute, you can use the school logon to access the Family Toolkit code:3d1bC5B9403C65
Hallow
Last year, St. Mary’s purchased a school wide subscription to Hallow at the beginning of Lent. Hallow is a religious application with celebrity endorsements from the likes of Mark Walberg, Christopher Pratt, and others (who doesn’t want to pray the rosary with Markie Mark!). There are segments with prayer, music, meditation, sleep aids, and much more. As part of the subscription, each student has their own student sign on. They can sign up on as many as 6 devices. This means if you are interested in using it yourself or would like to listen to it in the car with your family, listen to it after dinner or before bed, you can access the application.
Wildflowers and Wagon Wheels Gala
The St. Mary’s Annual Gala will be, Saturday February 6, 2027 at the Riverside Hotel. Please be sure to save the date and prepare yourself for the social event of the year. This not only is our largest fundraiser for St. Mary’s School, it is an incredible opportunity to celebrate our community, our school, and all the people committed to our mission.
Volunteerism
Thank you to everyone who has signed up to volunteer for various activities at school. The growth and success of St. Mary’s is dependent on everyone working together. The primary source of volunteerism opportunities is our PTO.
We do ask each of our families to contribute 20 hours per year to the various events and activities at St. Mary’s. Not only does it provide an opportunity to get to know others and be part of the larger community, the fundraising helps keep our tuition competitive and reasonable. Last year’s fundraising efforts by the PTO equated to approximately $160,000. That is equal to about $1000 per student.
Below is a list of volunteer opportunities from the PTO. They include not only activities during the day, but also opportunities to help from the comfort of your home. Please review the linked packet below to find an option that may work best for you.
Sacramental Preparation – For All Students (Especially 3rd grade and older)
The second graders will be spending the year preparing for First Communion and First Reconciliation.
If you have a student that is older than second grade and they would like to complete the course to prepare for First Communion and First Reconciliation, please complete the form below.
In addition, if your child is not baptized and would like to be, please complete the form below.
We are working cooperatively with the Parish and their religious education to provide these opportunities to our families and students.
This year, the staff and I will be goldfish – It is the happiest animal on the planet. Why? It has a 10 second memory. You can expect to hear more about our theme as the year progresses. We have taken this idea one step further as we are working at implementing an entire FISH Philosophy – The big ideas include:
Choose your attitude
Be present
Play (have fun)
Make their day
Throughout the year we will be emphasizing different concepts and ideas at school and in our classrooms. Feel free to include the ideas at home as well.
If you have a student in 3rd grade or high and you are a parishioner of St. Mary’s…. THEY CAN BE AN ALTAR SERVER!!! Deacon Jason Jaszkowiak is offering altar server training on Thursday, September 17th after school in the 6th grade classroom. Please see the flyer above for more information.
Future Cheerleaders!
Bishop Kelly Cheer is holding a Mini Knight Cheer Camp – Sept 17 and 18. If your child is interested, please complete the registration form below.
Last year, St. Mary’s students were able to take advantage of the services of Mathnasium after school. They are back to make an on-site offer again this year. They will be here on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:30-4:30. Registered students can also make use of Mathnasium sites across the Treasure Valley. Please see the linked flyer for more information.
God Bless and Take Care
Kevan Grant
St. Mary’s Catholic School – Principal
Go Spartans!
Calendar
September 12 – Student-Led Mass 5:00 pm – Followed by – Back to School Bash
September 14 – 25 – MAP Testing 1st through 8th grade
September 17 – Altar Server Training – After school
Bishop Kelly – Events and Athletics – Whether you are a soccer fan or football enthusiast, there is almost always something happening at Bishop Kelly. The link above is to their team pages – Check out their calendar for upcoming events.
Partnership Page – St. Mary’s supports the businesses that support us. The school has a webpage dedicated to our business partnerships. If you are looking for something, I encourage you to check out the directory. If you are interested in listing your business, please contact Mandy at the front office. We would love to continue to grow our partnerships and encourage support for our St. Mary’s businesses.
Recycled Textiles – St. Mary’s is collecting used clothing, purses, bedding, towels, hats, bags and other used garments for recycling. We have entered into a partnership with Just Porch It to collect and recycle textiles. There is a laundry bag in the basement if you would like to drop off anything.
St. Mary’s Mexican Dance Group
When: EveryWednesday- only on days when kids have full day of school
Start: we start Wed. Sept. 2nd
Time: 3:15 pm to 4:30 pm
Where: School Gym
Details: —Every St. Mary’s School student is welcomed. —Class is free/no fees.
Required: 1) dancing shoes. 2) each child needs his/her parent or legal guardian to be present before, during, and after each class.
guide your children and make good choices. Please know that this is not limited to phones and social media. Anything that connects to the internet, including gaming devices, wearable technology, and other communication devices are part of the problem. There are a number of parent driven programs, such as Wait Until 8th, trying to create support groups to fend off the pressure from society to cave to the children’s wants. 
